December 24

5 ¶ And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court.

6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, are not thou God in heaven? and must not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

7 Are not thou our God, who doth drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gives it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

9 If, when evil cometh upon us, in the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou avidest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

12 O our God, will thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 ¶ Then upon Jahansel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benariah, the son of Jebel, the son of Maitaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD, in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid per mismayered by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Zar, and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established, believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they were out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD, for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten.

23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir,

utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

24 And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah: for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28 And they came to Jerusalem with polteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.

29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of these countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

Jehoshaphat was driven into a corner. He said openly in the hearing of his people, "We have no might against this great host." But "the battle is not yours, but God's." What a text for those who are trying to live in the fear and love of God under discouraging circumstances.

"Stand on a promontory: they with you are great, they beneath you seem small; the situation of the eye makes or mars all. So it is with men in the time of trouble; if their eyes be fixed on earth, their enemies appear great, and God that is so high seems little. Let our eyes be in heaven, and from thence look down upon our enemies: God will appear mighty, our foes weak and contemptible. This was Jehoshaphat's confidence. 'There is no strength in us to stand against this multitude; but our eyes are upon Thee' (2 Chron. xx. 12) . . . We are all weak; in this mighty Deliverer be our confidence."—Adams.

"And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord." Anybody can sing the Te Deum when the battle is over. The difference between an ordinary man of war and a Christian is this: a Christian shouts before the victory, because he knows it is sure to come.


THE ASCENSION.

And a cloud received Him out of their sight.—Acts 1. 9.

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Closet Promise.—Through God we shall do valiantly; for He it is that shall tread down our enemies.—Psalm lx. 12.

"There is an unseen battle field In every human breast, Where two opposing forces meet, And where they seldom rest.

That field is veiled from mortal sight— 'Tis only seen by One Who knows alone where victory lies When each day's fight is done."